Big Brakes, Little Wheels

Lately, there's been an insurgence of binders big enough to swipe the contact lenses from your eyeballs when you stomp on the brake pedal. Ten years ago, if you wanted serious brakes for your ride, it meant buying race pieces and having them custom fit to your car. You were in uncharted territory and you essentially had to be your own expert. Now there are more companies building brakes than you can shake a stick at, and they're all touting huge pizza-sized rotors and gargantuan calipers. You know the kind--the kits that need huge wheels to make them fit. But this time we wanted to tell you about some smaller brakes that stop like they're big ones. We're talking about Baer's new Serious Street Plus braking system that fits inside factory 15-inch wheels, yet can still haul down your ride like the big boys.

Stopping Is Hot

So what happens when you slam on the brake pedal and your car comes to a screeching halt? The kinetic energy of your car moving forward is instantly converted into heat, which is then dissipated into the atmosphere through the brake rotors and pads. Heat is the number one killer of brakes and Baer has addressed braking heat in their new system.

Until now, the only way to improve the stopping of your car has been by installing giant front discs. But that also requires bigger wheels for clearance and that makes the cost skyrocket. Baer has taken what it learned from their big brake systems and incorporated it into a smaller-diameter rotor. Now, if you swap out your factory 10-inch front rotors for a set of Baer's 11-inchers you'll feel a noticeable difference right away.

What's Included

The Serious Street Plus kits were developed for customers who want good stopping but don't want big wheels. The kit is a combination of a few of Baer's pieces including EradiSpeed 11-rotors, two-piston aluminum Track calipers, a new master cylinder, and pre-bent stainless steel brake lines to fit the entire car (application dependent). The kit is designed to replace the factory front discs and/or front drums and comes with all the mounting hardware needed to complete the installation. Kits are currently available to fit early GM and Ford vehicles only, with new kits on the way this year.

BLEEDING CAN MAKE YOU STOP BETTER

Bleeding brakes is not done with pressure, it is purely a function of moving fluid through the system. The object is to displace air, not to see how far you can squirt fluid out of the caliper. Enlist someone to help you bleed your brakes. Make sure you carefully read these instructions with them and understand the goal.

Bleeding brakes first requires a properly-sized box wrench for the bleeder screws and a clear plastic hose running to the bottom of a clear plastic bottle (a clean 16-oz. soda bottle works well). Plenty of new brake fluid is also a must. Start by topping off the master cylinder with fresh fluid and pouring enough fluid into the soda bottle to cover the end of the clear tube. At the caliper farthest from the master cylinder, attach the other end of the clear plastic hose to the bleeder screw. Open the bleeder screw and have your helper very slowly push the brake pedal repeatedly until fluid comes out of the hose. Close the bleeder. Now have your partner slowly push the pedal again using modest pressure until resistance is encountered then hold and notify you by saying "holding." Open the bleeder while your partner has pressure on the pedal. Air will probably be visible in the clear fluid at the bottom of the bottle as it bleeds from the system. Close the bleeder and repeat the process. To avoid aerating the fluid, never stroke the pedal too quickly and don't let the master cylinder run dry. Finally, carefully tap on the caliper with a plastic hammer to dislodge any last air bubbles that may be trapped and repeat the bleeding sequence again. Move to the wheel that is the next furthest from the master cylinder and repeat the procedure. Also, it's advisable to repeat the bleeding process after driving the vehicle for a day or two, as that may dislodge some additional air bubbles.

Note: This method can also be used to effectively flush your brake fluid once a year, which is a good practice to get into. Moisture is the number-one killer of brake fluid, silicone fluids excepted (but the experts we spoke with all agree that you should avoid silicone fluids). Open your master cylinder and take a look at your fluid. If it's black and murky, it's way past the time for a flush.

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The new Serious Street Plus brake system from Baer includes new brake rotors (not shown) and master cylinder, as well as all the components needed for installations.

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Baer's aluminum 2-piston "Track" calipers are standard in the Serious Street Plus systems. These are the same pad-guided calipers that were factory equipment on the 1996 Grand Sport Corvette and '96 and newer Mustang Cobras.

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Early muscle cars obviously were never made for such high-end brake components so adapter brackets had to be made. Baer includes the proper brackets in each kit.

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Baer's EradiSpeed rotors fit on stock spindles but are much thicker to absorb and dissipate more heat. They also come with true directional vanes for added cooling. Rotors can be ordered with or without out-gassing slots and cross drilling.

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Bleeding the brakes can make you stop better

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The EradiSpeed rotors mount just like your factory rotors for an easy installation. The aluminum hubs also come equipped with new wheel studs as an added bonus.

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Not only does the new brake package look trick, it'll haul your car down in a much shorter distance as well. The best part is that the Serious Street Plus kit fits inside stock 15-inch wheels.

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Baer includes a complete stainless hard lines set with Serious Street Plus kits for early Mustangs. The pre-bent Classic Tube hard lines convert your early car to use a dual-circuit master cylinder (also included).

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The banjo bolt for most brake calipers is hollow and very fragile. It does not require much torque to seal so be careful when tightening it. Always remember to use new copper washers when tightening a banjo bolt--a used washer will leak, causing brake failure.

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A proportioning valve is not needed when swapping in Baer's Serious Street Plus front brake system, since the kit comes with the correct master cylinder. If you're swapping in rear discs as well, then a proportioning valve will be needed. The tech staff at Baer can tell you exactly what you'll need if you elect to upgrade your rear brakes at the same time.

Baer has many different brake pad compounds available. They include their Pro Touring compound ceramic pads with the Serious Street Plus systems, but you can upgrade to a Pro Track pad or even a Pro Race pad if needed.

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Big Brakes, Little Wheels

The new Serious Street Plus brake system from Baer includes new brake rotors (not shown) and master cylinder, as well as all the components needed for installations.

Baer's aluminum 2-piston "Track" calipers are standard in the Serious Street Plus systems. These are the same pad-guided calipers that were factory equipment on the 1996 Grand Sport Corvette and '96 and newer Mustang Cobras.

Early muscle cars obviously were never made for such high-end brake components so adapter brackets had to be made. Baer includes the proper brackets in each kit.

Baer's EradiSpeed rotors fit on stock spindles but are much thicker to absorb and dissipate more heat. They also come with true directional vanes for added cooling. Rotors can be ordered with or without out-gassing slots and cross drilling.

Bleeding the brakes can make you stop better

The EradiSpeed rotors mount just like your factory rotors for an easy installation. The aluminum hubs also come equipped with new wheel studs as an added bonus.

Not only does the new brake package look trick, it'll haul your car down in a much shorter distance as well. The best part is that the Serious Street Plus kit fits inside stock 15-inch wheels.

Baer includes a complete stainless hard lines set with Serious Street Plus kits for early Mustangs. The pre-bent Classic Tube hard lines convert your early car to use a dual-circuit master cylinder (also included).

The banjo bolt for most brake calipers is hollow and very fragile. It does not require much torque to seal so be careful when tightening it. Always remember to use new copper washers when tightening a banjo bolt--a used washer will leak, causing brake failure.

A proportioning valve is not needed when swapping in Baer's Serious Street Plus front brake system, since the kit comes with the correct master cylinder. If you're swapping in rear discs as well, then a proportioning valve will be needed. The tech staff at Baer can tell you exactly what you'll need if you elect to upgrade your rear brakes at the same time.

Baer has many different brake pad compounds available. They include their Pro Touring compound ceramic pads with the Serious Street Plus systems, but you can upgrade to a Pro Track pad or even a Pro Race pad if needed.